EVENTS - Courtney Love at Hiro Ballroom

I don't care what people say about Courtney Love...Good ol' Court is a damn good entertainer! We checked out the not-so-secret secret free show last night at Hiro Ballroom here at NYC's swanky Maritime Hotel, and it was...well, an experience to remember.

As the show was free and first come first serve, the line (starting earlier than 4PM - for 10:45 doors) wrapped well around the block and comprised mostly of a healthy dose of once-alterna-teens...excited, and prepped for what was to be a long, yet worthwhile night.

The small venue packed to capacity, and everyone settled in to their positions on the floor (equipped with $8 Tiger Beer and shot of whiskey specials).... At the stroke of midnight, the belle of the ball entered the ballroom and proceeded to shout out a handful of new tunes. The crowd quickly turned into a thick and heavy mosh pit (I was hit in the head with a flying bottle of Tiger Beer). Cigarette in mouth, Love warned the crowd that they were in for mostly new music, and not to expect too many oldies...although, she rocked out some gems (Miss World, Malibu, Doll Parts and Northern Lights-a personal favorite). The raspy screams of her harder hits drove the crowd wild and more violent, as the newer tunes from the upcoming album, "Nobody's Daughter" tamed the fans ever-so slightly. The show lasted a solid 1.5 hours.

Highlights from the new album including the Johnny Cash infused, "Never Go Hungry Again" and "Dirty Girls" (you can listen to the studio version on Courtney's website) generated particular interest amongst the crowd.

Although Courtney is alarmingly skinny, she actually looks pretty gosh darn phenomenal in person. She rocks what she's got (and what she's had done)....and pictures simply don't do her justice. That said, we're not convinced she's going to do for the "onesie" (see pics below) what she did for the baby doll dress in the '90s.

Love knows her talents and her weaknesses. She shows off all of her vulnerabilities on stage, and addresses the fans as if they were friends sitting in on rehersal, talking casually to the crowd and her band as she worked through (and re-edited) the set list. As she was seemingly pretty sober, the show was lacking in the sporadic tantrums, nudity and disastrous "f*ck yous" that we've grown accustomed to expect from the lovely lady over the years. Nonetheless, she radiates nothing but pure rock-stardom and she plays that role damn well. Nobody's going to pretend that Courtney has the prettiest voice in the nation, but on pure live rock-star value, she really does have 'the most cake'.





Rolling Stone Review
Courtney Love Official Website
(images via Zandland and freshbread)
-jmd